The present invention relates to a medical clamp and cutter of tubular bodies, particularly to a clamp and cutter for umbilical cords.
The umbilical cord is a tubular structure which connects a fetus with the placenta. The cord permits the exchange of waste products, oxygen and nutrients between the mother and her fetus. Upon the baby's birth, a traditional method of severing the umbilical cord would involve the use of two clamps for clamping the cord at two points and a cutting blade for severing the cord between the two clamped points.
The above traditional method was time consuming, cumbersome and costly. As a result, various double clamp devices have been suggested for simultaneously clamping and cutting the umbilical cord. After severing the cord, however, these devices require an additional step to separate the placenta from the fetus while maintaining their respective clamped positions. For example, reference is made to the prior art devices disclosed in Whittaker, U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,524,337, Churchville, 3,106,919; Hurley, Jr., 3,323,208; and Mattler, 4,026,294. Each of these devices suffer from the disadvantage of requiring an additional step after cutting and clamping for separating the device. This additional step may be both time consuming and cumbersome, the disadvantages of which may be accentuated in an emergency situation when life and death may be determined by a matter of seconds.
An object of the present invention is to provide an improved double-clamp device which is able to simultaneously sever an umbilical cord while maintaining each severed end in a clamp.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a double-clamp device, which is inexpensive to produce, thereby permitting the device to be provided cost and effectively disposed of after each use.